PT admits giving in to centrão in government to expand base – 07/15/2023 – Power

Members of the PT leadership admit that the party or close allies of President Lula will have to give up space in the government to make an agreement with the centrão and expand the allied base in Congress.

PT supporters recognize that, in favor of governance, the acronym will need to “cut themselves in the flesh”, but act to shield portfolios considered strategic, such as Health and the Ministry of Social Development, responsible for Bolsa Família —Lula’s main social showcase.

The centrão, a group led by the mayor, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), presented an invoice for two ministries and the command of state-owned companies for the president to enable the approval of structural projects in the Chamber and consolidate votes for parties such as PP and Republicans.

Despite minister Wellington Dias’ (Social Development) wear and tear, the PT defends that the party continues at the head of the portfolio.

There is a rift among Lula’s allies over the future of the ministry. Political articulators of the government, who are part of the PT, argue that the president should open the portfolio of Bolsa Família to the centrão with the objective of tying up once and for all the support of weighty parties in the Chamber.

However, another wing of the party sees a very high risk if Lula leaves Bolsa Família under the command of the centrão, especially in view of the proximity of municipal elections. The PT intends to expand the number of city halls to have political capillarity already with an eye on the 2026 presidential race.

The ministerial rearrangement involves other portfolios headed by PT members and smaller allies.

One hypothesis would be to transfer the head of Science and Technology, Luciana Santos (PC do B), to the Ministry of Women.

There are those who defend the reduction of the space destined to the PSB, today at the head of three ministries, including Industry and Commerce, under Vice Geraldo Alckmin.

The president of Caixa, Rita Serrano, is in the sights of the centrão and has received criticism within the government for her performance at the head of the body. On Thursday (13), however, a launch event for Minha Casa, Minha Vida served as an act of redress for her. Throughout the ceremony, Caixa employees shouted “Stay, Rita”.

In addition, social movements, including the MTST (Movement of Homeless Workers), sent a letter to Lula asking for Rita’s stay.

“The organizations that sign this letter fought tirelessly for their freedom, for the resumption of democracy and popular government. (…) In this way, we cannot accept in any way that those who were among those who criminalize us, built the coup against President Dilma and fueled the persecution of people’s organizations and the Lord once again command an institution like Caixa, which is fundamental for the Brazilian people”, states the text.

Despite this, Lula is walled in by the impossibility of taking positions that today are with PSD, MDB and União Brasil.

“There are ministries that are very similar to us: health, education and social. He is interested in bringing the PP and Republicans. Then, probably, in August he will start negotiating. He will have to squeeze from here, pick from there and find a space But I don’t think for this specific thing it’s MDS [Ministério do Desenvolvimento Social]. It is my opinion”, says the leader of the government in the Senate, Jaques Wagner (PT-BA).

“Evidently, for us, we have some ministries that are very dear to us. Health, Social Development, is the face of the PT. The government has so much space that it can contemplate them without touching those things that are historical flags of the PT, that helps But on the part of the PT there won’t be any rebellion, we are too pro-government, I think”, said Jilmar Tatto, federal deputy and national secretary of Communication of the party.

Despite the tendency to keep the MDS under PT command, there is no certainty about Wellington Dias’ permanence in office, due to the disappointment of the president’s allies with the minister’s performance.

While members of the PT summit admit the chance of an exchange in the MDS, the secretary general of the PT, Henrique Fontana, is against it.

“I am sure that the ministry will not change hands. Wellington is an excellent manager and a fundamental leader of the PT and Lula’s team, he is doing an excellent job in the MDS”, he says.

The leader of the government in Congress, Senator Randolfe Rodrigues (No party-AP), says that any change in the government is not a matter of debate right now. “All parties that want to be part of the greatest task of our lives, which is to rebuild our country after fascism, will be welcome, PP and Republicans, all of them.”

In the first six months, Lula managed to approve in the Chamber the new fiscal framework, the MP (provisional measure) that deals with the structure of the Esplanada dos Ministérios, the tax reform and the CARF bill (the last administrative instance of tax disputes), essential for Fernando Haddad’s (Finance) balance plan for public accounts.

The Planalto Palace, however, relied on Lira’s fundamental influence in the plenary session to advance on these agendas. In others, such as the overthrow of the sanitation decrees, Lula suffered a defeat.

“It is good [atrair PP e Republicanos para a base governista], it makes the government easier, it gives less stress, approval is easier, although there are things that will continue to be difficult. But a rearrangement is needed. is what he [Lula] said, we are a minority. We don’t even have 150 [como Lula citou]we have 130 deputies [de esquerda]”, said Carlos Zarattini (PT-SP).

If he manages to tie most of the parliamentarians from the big center and right-wing parties —PSD, MDB, União Brasil, PP and Republicanos—, Lula would have a base that could reach 400 of the 513 parliamentarians, which would isolate the opposition to Bolsonarism. , now housed in PL.

In February, PT president Gleisi Hoffmann said in an interview with Sheet that the party had already ceded too much space in the top echelon of government. “I don’t see how the PT could give up more space in the government to contemplate other forces”, he declared at the time.

The evaluation of members of the party leadership, now, is that Lula needs to guarantee a majority in the Chamber to have more tranquility in the rest of the government.

The idea is to repeat the scenario of Lula’s second term (2007-2010), when the PT opened the doors of the government to centrist parties, distributed ministries and, with that, obtained parliamentary support to approve measures in Congress even after the scandal of the monthly allowance.